Sidney Barnes

Most Estill Countians are unaware of a native son who came within a whisker of becoming Governor of Kentucky, is enshrined on a mountain top in Tennessee and earned national recognition for his work on the Federal Courts. Sidney Madison Barnes is arguably the most notable individual ever born within the boundaries of Estill County. In addition to his milita.I)' and national achievements, he was a leading citizen during the county's critical formative years and deserves to be honored. Sidney was born in 1821 to John Harris Barnes and Lucy Grubbs. Sidney and his younger brother Thomas lost their parents to one of the frequent typhoid fever epidemics in 1923/24. They were raised by an uncle, Thomas Grubbs, in Montgomery County. When Sidney reached the age of eighteen, against the wishes of his uncle, he returned to Estill County to pursue a career in law. His net assets when he arrived in his native county were a horse. a dollar and a watch. Sidney did odd jobs around the courthouse while his father's old friend, Judge Burnham, tutored him in law. After completing his legal training, he became one of Estill County's most successful attorneys for the next three decades. In 1841, Sidney married Elizabeth Mize, daughter of Isaac and Elizabeth Mize. The couple had six children, several of whom became prominent in their own rights. When the Civil War erupted, Sidney rallied to the side of the Union. He was the prime force in the formation of the famous Eighth Kentucky Infantry Regiment. At considerable personal cost he used his plantation at Estill Springs as the training base for the Eighth Infantry. Under his command, the regiment earned national acclaim for its heroic efforts in capturing the crest of Lookout Mountain in that celebrated battle. The names of Sidney and several of his subordi nates are enshrined on a plaque atop the precipice. Sidney was the highest ranking officer commissioned from Estill County during the Civil War. Colonel Barnes paid a heavy price for his allegiance to the Union. John Hunt Morgan, who had been a comrade of Thomas H. Barnes during the Mexican-American War, occupied Estill Springs briefly in 1863. Morgan permitted his troops to ravage the estate during the occupation. When Sidney marched off to fight the Rebels, he turned his law practice over to a local attorney named Robert Friend and he entrusted his financial affairs to his brother who was then an attorney in Madison County. His brother Thomas died suddenly and Sidney's money became tied up in Thomas's estate. These and other factors caused Barnes to lose Estill Springs and somehow Robert Friend acquired the estate earning the enmity of his benefactor. Things were not quite the same for the Barnes family after the war and they soon left Irvine and moved to Somerset where Sidney again became active in politics. Sidney Barnes was a leading citizen and political force in Estill County for many years, holding several local offices. In 1848, he was elected to the Kentuely General Assembly as the Representative from Estill County. In 1867, the returning war hero became a candidate for Governor on the Radical Union ticket and ran second to John L. Helm in a three man race. The following year he ran for a seat in the United States Congress. He lost in a closely contested race that eventually was decided in the House of Representatives . The family eventually moved to Arkansas where Sidney became a prominent member of the Little Rock community. He served as a delegate lo the Arkansas Constitutional Convention in 1874.In 1878 President Hays appointed him Prosecuting Attorney for the territory of New Mexico. It was in New Mexico that he became good friends with Lew Wallace, author of Ben Hur. Sidney had another literary connection through his cousin, Joel Chandler Harris, who wrote the Uncle Remus Stories. Sidney M. Barnes died in May of 1890 and was buried with honors in the National Cemetery at Forth Smith, Arkansas-. The Federal Courts were closed on the day of his funeral; an indication of the high esteem in which this Estill County native was held.